Mosul Campaign, Day Thirty-Eight, Nov 23, 2016

There were no new advances announced in eastern Mosul on November 23, 2016. The Golden and 9^th Divisions were still fighting over some of the newer neighborhoods it entered into over the last few weeks. Qahira was attacked, which was initially entered on November 20. There was also continued fighting in Mufti, Salam, Sabawi Younis, Palestine and Nassir. Younis Sabawi was originally attacked on November 11, Palestine on November 13, and Nassir and Mufti on November 17. In the more secure areas, the Golden Division was also trying to dismantle IEDs. A general from the unit told the press that the Islamic State was weakening, but that wasn’t apparent from the news.  

A few casualties from the city were reported. 6 civilians were killed and 30 wounded by Islamic State mortar fire, and a sniper killed two more. The day before IS was said to have beheaded 15 soldiers it captured. CNN talked with a Peshmerga commander, U.N. and health officials that hospitals in Irbil were receiving up to 80-90 casualties per day, mostly civilians. Authorities said that the health centers in the city were being overwhelmed by the amount of people arriving finding it difficult to find enough beds and medicines for them.

To the west the Hashd cut the road from Mosul to Sinjar and onto Syria. It still had not encircled Tal Afar, but the ensuing battle for it was leading almost all of the families that resided there to flee. Around 3,000 were said to have left with half heading towards Syria and the others going towards Kurdish held areas.

In the southeast the 9^th Division freed several more towns including Qara Tapa.

Finally, air strikes took out a member of the IS leadership and another bridge in Mosul. There are five bridges that cross the Tigris River. A fourth one was hit by the U.S. led Coalition. The Americans are hoping to limit the ability of the militants to travel across the city. An air strike was also believed to have killed the Islamic State’s Minister of Information for Ninewa Ziyad Kharufa.

SOURCES

Adel, Loaa, "ISIS shelling kills 6 civilians, wounds 30 others near Mosul," Iraqi News, 11/23/16

Agence France Presse, “Iraq forces cut off IS-held Mosul from Syria,” 11/23/16

ARA News, "Islamic State executes 15 Iraqi soldiers in Mosul," 11/23/16

BBC, “Mosul battle: Iraq militias ‘cut off IS access to city,’” 11/23/16

Coles, Isabel and Hameed, Saif, “Civilians flee as Shi’ite fighters near flashpoint town near Mosul,” Reuters, 11/23/16

Dewan, Angela and Tawfeeq, Mohammed, “Mosul completely surrounded by Iraqi-led troops, paramilitary forces say,” CNN, 11/23/16

Al Forat, "Al Forat Announces incursion into five neighborhoods on Mosul's left coast, and continued clearing of Tal Afar Airport," 11/17/16

Iraq Oil Report, "Inside Mosul: Nov. 13, 2016," 11/13/16

Al Maalomah, "Martyrdom of two displaced people by criminal Daesh sniper east Mosul," 11/23/16

Al Mada, "Breaking into eight districts and increases pressure on Daesh on the left coast," 11/11/16

Al Masalah, "Ninewa We Are Coming declares freeing eight villages in the western axis," 11/23/16

New Sabah, "Break in the fight against terrorism in Qahira, one of the largest neighborhoods in the left coast of Mosul," 11/23/16

Rudaw, "Iraqi army makes gains southeast of Mosul," 11/23/16

- "ISIS leader among militants killed in Mosul district," 11/20/16